Over at the Daily Express, in an article entitled “Archbishop should fight for his faith – instead he surrenders to fanatics”, Leo McKinstry has clearly taken leave of what remained of his senses:

“It is bitterly ironic that the Archbishop of Canterbury, who should be leading the fight to defend our Christian heritage and democratic liberties, has called for the British legal system to incorporate sharia law. This is a religious code synonymous with barbarity, the oppression of women and contempt for basic human rights. All-embracing in its scope, often vicious in its sanctions, sharia is the very antithesis of the humane essence of Christianity, the faith that Dr Rowan Williams is upholding.

“… our civic leaders sneer at the Christian values that built our society but, in the name of cultural diversity, tolerate alien extremism, brutality, superstition and criminality….

“George Orwell’s novel 1984 painted a bleak vision of a future British state under socialist totalitarian rule. But today the real threat to our way of life comes from the onward march of aggressive Islamism. If the Archbishop’s vision were to become a reality we would have neighbourhoods in this country under the iron grip of bearded patriarchs and vengeful zealots. Off-licences and pubs would be forced to close in certain areas. Films and publications would be censored. Attendance at the local mosque would be rigorously enforced, while adherents of other faiths would be forced to convert or leave….

“It is grotesque that the Church of England should be colluding with this process rather than challenging it…. In his defeatist attitude Williams is turning the Church into a suicide cult…. His call for sharia law amounts to nothing more than a craven surrender to bullying from fundamentalist Muslims, whose demands are usually accompanied by the hint of menace from the clenched fist or suicide bomb….

“This is the classic stance of appeasement, hoping to buy the aggressor with endless capitulation…. there is nothing remotely liberal about an acceptance of Islamism. It is a bizarre paradox of our times that so called progressives should be eager to support an ideology that treats women as second-class citizens, condemns gays and condones rape, punishment beatings, corruption and mass murder….

“Sharia law is the logical consequence of the Government’s ruthless promotion of the cult of cultural diversity and mass immigration. That is why ministers are just as guilty as the Archbishop of Canterbury when it comes to allowing Islam to destroy the fabric of our nation.”